The Last
by dottyspotty
Summary: Tula is the great-granddaughter of the only air nomad to survive the genocide, and she believes that she is the only airbender alive. Her one and only goal is to survive the war to prevent the permanent eradication of airbending, but it seems that the world has other plans.
1. Chapter 1

The sun set on a forest grove in the southwestern Earth Kingdom, painting the sky a mellow orange. The trees cast shadows that danced around the three small huts that made up Tula's home. It was a peaceful moment. A glimmer of light in a world seemingly defined by darkness—a world that had been out of balance for 100 years.

Tula put the finishing touches on the fruit pie and placed it on her little wooden table. "Happy 16 to me," she said quietly. If only she could have some company, her family wouldn't seem so far away. Even one of the forlorn looking travelers she sometimes let stay in her spare room would have been more than welcome, but she hadn't seen one of them in at least a month. The war made travel difficult for most people.

As the sun set on the last day of her fifteenth year, loud voices and footsteps approached her. It was clear from their drunken voices and the drag of swords through the dirt that they were not friendly. _Spirits!_ She needed to make her house look deserted before they got there. She sprinted out the back of the kitchen into her bedroom, taking the fruit pie with her. Rapidly raising up a faded woven rug, she pried open the entrance to the cellar. Luckily, the relics, easily her most important possessions, were already stored down there, but she needed to remove all signs of life from the room to be safe.

She grabbed clothes, perfumes, her sketchbooks—but a loud bang on the door interrupted her.

 _I don't have time. I'll have to face them._

Tula set her things down. She carefully closed the cellar's opening and smoothed the rug over it. She ran to the door, knowing well that the more the knocker had to wait, the less forgiving he would be. Trying her hardest not to visibly shake with nerves, she cracked the door open.

Standing before her were 8 or 9 fire nation soldiers. They seemed to be beefy as could be and with egos as broad as their shoulders.

 _They're looking for trouble._

"Look at what we've got here, Kai." The third-beefiest, and definitely the drunkest soldier used the hand not steadying himself with a sword to fully open the door. "An itty-bitty, scrawny, shy little girl." His hot breath washed over her pallid face.

"I'm not so little." She stepped up onto her front step, revealing herself to be just as tall as a few of the soldiers. Hopefully, all she needed to do was show them she wouldn't be easy to mess with.

"And I'm not so shy." She kneed the drunk one between the legs. The soldiers were taken aback. The drunk one's expression hardened. Confrontation was not something she had much experience with. She was getting nervous, and she hovered a little off the ground.

Tula was an airbender. As far as she knew, she was the last of her kind. Those relics in her cellar used to belong to her great-grandmother, likely the only air nomad to survive the genocide, and it was Tula's duty to protect them. What might be the only remnants of that great culture rested on her shoulders, and as the soldiers steadied themselves and readied their swords, she had a decision to make.

Should she give it her all and use what little airbending she'd knew? She was pretty confident she could take them in their drunken state. But like Kama had always told her—pretty isn't enough.

 _I can't risk anyone knowing I'm an air bender._  
 _And even if I did best them, then what? I couldn't kill them. There's only one thing I can do to really hurt them, and I never want to do that to someone again. I'm the closest thing left to an air nomad—I should at least try to act like one._

Even though she resolved not to sweep the soldiers off their feet with gusts of air, Tula wasn't going out without a fight.

Tula was not prepared to defend herself against a group of grown men; however she was emboldened by her surprising act of confidence from a moment earlier. She could handle herself when it came down to it.

Kai, shot a few flames her way. Luckily Tula was light on her feet. She cartwheeled away on one hand, using the other to bat flames away. She landed gracefully on her feet and punched a squat and shrewd looking soldier squarely in the chest.

"Hi To, come give me a hand!" It was probably unwise for Kai to call on the drunkest of them, but Hi To lumbered over. Tula sprang onto the squat man's unsuspecting shoulders and kicked Hi To in his reddened face.

She had broken his nose and probably given him a black eye, too, and it was then that the soldiers realized that she wasn't to be trifled with. The fight intensified, but Tula could only dodge so many swords. She could only jump so high without raising suspicions.

She soon saw that the game was up. She had injured a couple soldiers, but those who remained, including Kai and Hi To, who were tougher than she'd thought, bound her wrists and discussed what they ought to do with her.

As they talked rowdily, over a bottle of whiskey, her worrying intensified. She hadn't pegged them to be legitimately evil men—just bored, drunken, and disagreeable.

 _Surely, they won't subject me to some kind of torture. Maybe all they want out of me is a meal! That's wishful thinking. What if they make me do them a favor, the kind the soldiers used to make Kama do. Surely not. And if they do, I'll escape somehow, if I really had to, I'd—no. I can't think about doing that again. I'll cross that bridge_ _ **if**_ _I get to it._

"So, Kai, what should we do with the girly?" Hi To slurred his words.

"Hmm...what's your name, pretty?" Kai turned his attention to Tula.

Before she could answer, which she didn't intend to do, truthfully, at least, Hi To interjected, "She's really not all that pretty. Kinda funny looking. But her hair would make a nice wig!" He laughed.

"Sure would." Kai wrapped one of her curls around his finger. "She's not bad in my book." Tula narrowed her eyes at him.

"You know, there's a fire nation circus that's right where the Si Wong desert begins; it's basically on our way," Kai said, decisively. "The girl's a real acrobat. I bet we could get a nice pay-off if we brought her there."

"Sounds good to me." Hi To got to his feet with great difficulty. "Guess we'd better be startin' off to the ship if we want to get there by mornin'."

And just like that, Tula was plunged into the dark clouds of the unknown.

 _If this is what it takes to survive this war, it's worth it, right?_


	2. Chapter 2

By the time they reached the ship, the sun had been out for several hours. It wasn't a particularly large ship, and it was nestled in a little inlet, hidden by trees. It was a small comfort to know that these men were in enemy waters, that at any time them being captured or arrested was plausible, but Tula could not hope for so much. Although the empire of the Fire Nation had not yet spread so far, the second the Fire Lord Ozai decided to attack, Gao Ling would fall, and the surrounding villages would be swarming with Fire Nation men hungry for a little piece of their country's power.

Upon arriving, the soldiers snuck her onto the ship. "If the captain sees her, he'll want a piece of the money," Kai checked his surroundings. He led her into a small room with bars across the back half and locked her door behind them.

"We'll be sailing for about a week, and then it'll be off to the circus." He waggled his eyebrows. "You watch her," he ordered the squat man, who resignedly took the keys from him and slumped down on one side of the room.

Within minutes he fell asleep. Tula scanned the entire room for some kind of escape, but there was nothing. Out of misery, she blew his ponytail in small circles. Only the kind of dejection she felt now would allow her to be so careless with her air bending. After what was probably hours of this repeated motion, she heard someone opening the door. She withdrew her hands and backed into the corner of the cell. The squat man's ponytail was left splayed over his face.

The man who had just entered the room had done so as loudly as possible. He clanged his sword against the bars, making a deafening noise. His tall figure loomed over Tula, and she scowled up at him. All the noise woke up the squat man, who jumped to his feet.

"You're needed on deck, kiddo." He sneered at the squat man, who looked no younger than him. As the squat man left, the new guard faced Tula. "Listen here, prisoner, you make one move and I swear to Sozin you'll regret it. I'm one of the best, most devoted soldiers in this joint, not like those pathetic wimps who captured you. If _I_ had been on that side-mission, they wouldn't have failed to capture Beifong's wife, and I sure as spits wouldn't have let a little girl like you give me a black eye. Hi To should be ashamed of himself."

"Why are you down here babysitting me then?" Tula peered up at him, looking with dislike at his angular face. She knew better than to say anything else, but he leered at her for the rest of his shift, making threatening gestures with his dagger and baring his teeth.

Tula was able to tell that the sun was setting because her cell became even darker. There was a soft knock on the door. The guard, hearing it too, approached the bars. "Us soldiers have night duties, so no one's going to be in here until tomorrow morning. We can't have the captain knowing you're here. Don't think this means you can escape; there will still be plenty of guards in the corridor. You better not get any ideas. Understand?"

Tula remained stony and silent.

"Usually, I prefer women who don't speak," the guard growled, "but in your case, it makes me feel like you're planning something."

Again, silence.

"What's your name, girly?"

Tula blinked up at him.

"I said, what's your name you little—" His palms flashed with flames, briefly lighting the room.

"Li," Tula interrupted, not wanting to make her situation worse.

"That's a man's name, liar."

"-a.," she added. Still, the idea of complying to this awful man's wishes made her feel sick.

"Okay then, Lia. That sure doesn't sound like a Dirt Kingdom name to me, but what can you do?" He drew out the last few words as he turned to the door and took a few strides towards it.

 _Thank the Spirits. He's finally leaving._

But as the guard reached the door he spun around, and before she knew it, Tula could feel the burning heat on her face. She didn't have the time to dodge the blow, only to cover her face with her arm. As the flames dissipated, she put her hand against the searing pain on her neck. The guard look down at her triumphantly. She didn't let herself wince until he left, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her in pain.

As the door slammed shut, her whole body cringed. The right side of her neck was burned, and little tendrils of shiny red extended onto her jaw. His flames weren't very strong, but without the proper treatment, the burns might never fully heal.

 _Why are some people so cruel?_

Tears slipped down her cheek, stinging. She pressed her neck up against the cool cell bars, trying to ease the pain.

Sleep did not come that night for discomfort. She lay awake, creating a soft breeze to brush against her new wound and curb its heat. Her hate for the war and the Fire Nation, weakened from three years of peaceful isolation, was alight again. She had never taken the war as seriously as she should have. She just stayed out of the way, trying to live her life as best as she could.

 _Surely, that can't be a crime. Every time I've stood up to a Fire Nation soldier, it's gotten me in deep trouble._

Memories of everything the Fire Nation had ever done bubbled up inside her. All of her village's earth benders had been picked off and taken away. All of the abuse she and her friends and family had suffered from the soldiers flashed before her eyes once again. The faces of the numerous refugees she had housed on their journeys to Gao Ling resurfaced in her mind, too. They had all been so weathered and desperate; so much had been taken from them.

Most of the time, Tula told herself that surviving the war would be enough. There was nothing _she_ could do to end it. Tula wanted to survive, but what she really desired was to live. She wanted to see her family again. She wanted to get married. She wanted to learn how to airbend and become a master—the first one the world had seen in a century.

But behind these bars none of that was possible.

So, Tula was left with a single option: she had to escape.


	3. Chapter 3

Despite the abrupt change to Tula's world, the sun rose just as it always does, its rays shining through the window on the back wall of her cell. The window was far too small for her to fit through it. She was still without a single idea on how to get off this ship.

A man walked through the door. She didn't recognize him from the past few days, which she thought was a good thing. He didn't look too pleased to be stuck guarding her.

He placed a bowl of rice in front of her. It was so small it could fit between the bars. He then slid a cup of water her way, too. She looked down at the meager meal. Even though she was no stranger to eating things with her hands, having lived alone for so long, it felt demeaning to do it under these circumstances. She took a long sip of water; the cooling liquid slid down her throat. She put the glass up to her next and rested her chin on it as it soothed her burn. The man watched her do this.

"I hope you learned you shouldn't mess with the guards. Some of 'em are real angry people. 'Specially if they were sent to watch you by Kai and Hi To. Means they don't got it too good on this ship."

"Why are you down here?" Tula placed her glass back on the floor and turned her attention to the guard.

"Kai insulted my wife, and I gave him a black eye, to match Hi To's. We're both from the same town and I s'pose he wanted to get under my skin. I used to be his boss back home so he's not too fond of me." The man chuckled.  
"Thanks to good 'ol Ozai, we're in the same boat now." He vaguely gestured to the walls of the ship.

There was bitterness in his husky voice, and it was apparent that it wasn't his choice to be here. Tula took a good look at him. He was older than most of the other men on the ship, and he looked like he'd seen some things that had aged him even more.

"What's your name?" she asked softly.

"They call me Chou."

"That's a real pretty name." She smiled faintly.

"Well, it's a nickname. Kai heard my wife call me 'her little Chou' once and he got everyone else using it. It used to be a bit embarrassing, but I like it better than my given name, anyways."

She looked at him inquiringly.

"It's Sozin. I don't think my father imagined me on guard duty in a low-class ship when he named me that, but I reckon that's just how it goes sometimes." He paused for a moment.

"I'm alive, and that really is something these days."

"You should eat your rice," he added, awkwardly.

"I will." She took it in her hands but didn't touch it.

After maybe an hour of silence, Chou fell asleep. As he snored softly, Tula's her stomach growled. She finally ate the rice, mulling over each bite.

 _I like Chou, and I don't want to hurt him. But I have to figure out how to get of this damned boat._

A few more days came and went but no progress with them. Tula realized what Chou meant about her guards. All of them were either particularly weak, overly mouthy, or just plain miserable looking.

Tula spent most of her hours meditating or simply thinking. She had braided and undone her hair, which was getting more unkempt by the day, maybe 20 times. Whenever the guards slept, she'd use a charred piece of coal to draw pictures on the walls. She drew several landscapes, some turtleducks, and a rather good portrait of Chou.

She had just begun to depict an old lion turtle city that she had seen a drawing of in one of her great-grandmother's old books when Chou walked in.

"I brought you some ointment for that burn."

"Thank you, Chou." She took it and rubbed it over the burn which instantly felt a lot better.

Chou nodded. "I like that picture you drew of me." He pointed to the corner of the cell where the light shone.

"Me too." She smiled.

She continued to draw. She couldn't tell if Chou was watching her or not, but his presence was comforting.

A few hours later, as she was meditating, Chou shifted around, and she opened her eyes.

"Uh, Miss," he said in a low voice.

She looked up at him.

"I know you don't deserve to be in here, and I don't feel right about it." He sighed.

"Alright, look. Kai's coming to check on you about midday, so I can't give 'em to you now. But I'm gonna leave the keys right here." He placed them on a hook next to the door.

"It's the small, brownish one you want. Kai's little brother's gonna be your guard this afternoon and he's not too bright. He's real young and naive. If you're nice to him, I reckon you could find a way to get those keys. I'd try to escape a little before dawn. Most of the soldiers on guard are pretty drowsy then, and not all of 'em even know about you. We'll be turning into a river soon, heading to join some forces trying to force entry into Full Moon Bay, and if you could just swim to shore..." He took a deep breath. "I think you'd have a fighting chance."

"Thank you so much." Tula was grateful beyond words.

Chou bowed his head, and he left the room wearing an unreadable expression.

 _Perfect. Now all I have to do is get ahold of that key._

As she was formulating a plan, Kai walked in.  
"Good news," he grinned. "We'll be reaching out destination earlier than expected."

Tula looked up, surprised.

"Tonight, after the captain's asleep, me and Hi To will be delivering you to the circus."

 _Spirits! But Chou said I'd be able to escape tonight!_

"You're gonna want to freshen up, look all pretty for the ringmaster," Kai said slyly, handing her a damp cloth and a hair ribbon. He gave a jaunty little wave as he exited the room, which made Tula's blood boil.

She began to clean off the grime that had accumulated on her face over the past few days, which she had to admit felt quite good. Here hands were black as pitch from drawing with the charcoal, and there were smudges that went all the way up her arms. She took her long hair, which was now less of a golden color and more of a dull bronze, and tied it at the back of her neck. A few pieces came loose at the front and she took one between her fingers, twisting it around to calm her nerves.

She heard a hesitant knock on the door, and a man walked in, looking a little nervous. Calling him a man was a bit generous, actually. He looked to be only 17 or 18, not much older than Tula.

 _This must be the guy Chou told me about._

"Hey there." He gave a little wave. "Uh, I'm Okimaru."

Remembering what Chou said about being nice, Tula greeted him and introduced herself, which felt very odd considering the circumstances.

He sat down rather close to cell bars and looked at Tula intently. "So I'm really curious—who are you? And how did you end up here?"

Not really wanting to answer, Tula replied, "I'm just a girl from the Earth Kingdom, and one of your fellow soldiers decided to sell me to a circus." She knew how bitter she probably sounded, but there was no way to mask it.

"Yeah, uh, I'm sorry about that. That was my brother." He faltered awkwardly. "But you don't really look like an Earth Kingdom girl, so I wasn't sure if the story Kai told me was true."

She looked at him, inquisitive.

"Well, you don't look like your from the Earth Kingdom—I mean you're hair's so light," he added. "And well, your eyes look like Fire Nation eyes. So I thought maybe you came from some place Kai didn't tell me about," he finished, sheepishly.

"He told you what happened. They came upon me on their way back to the ship and decided to capture me."

Okimaru sighed. "Kai's really awful. He's always been mean to me. I don't quite know why."

"He's probably jealous." Tula decided that if comforting him would help her escape, it would be well worth it.

"But that doesn't make sense. He's three years older than me, and he's a fire bender. Everything's always come easy to him."

"Well..." Tula thought for a second. "You _are_ better looking."

"You think so?" Okimaru looked genuinely concerned.

"Uh, yeah. I mean his face is really asymmetrical, especially when he does that evil smirk."

Okimaru smiled.

"And why did he ever decide to shave the sides of his head like that? It looks terrible ."

"I'm pretty sure he thinks it makes him look hard," he laughed. "Thanks, Tula. That made me feel a lot better."

"You're welcome, Okimaru."

"Call me Oki," he interjected.

He looked around the room. "These drawings are beautiful."

"Thank you so much!"

Okimaru's eyes lit up and he jumped to his feet. "Hold on, I'll be right back. I wanna get something for you." He ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

 _That was too easy._

Tula wanted to yell out of joy, but instead she extended her hand and shot a gust of air at the keys. She pulled her hand back to her, carrying the keys towards her, and she swiped them out of the air. She cringed slightly as they clanged against the bars. Frantically, she tried to locate the key she needed, and within seconds she had it. She stretched out the ring, which thankfully was unsecured, bendable scrap wire and took the key. One hand clenched around this treasured key and the other sent the ring flying back to the hook.

She exhaled with relief, and right then Okimaru re-entered. He was holding some parchment an inkwell, and a pen.

"I thought you might like this," he said smilingly.

"Wow thank you! You're so thoughtful." She took extra care to brush his hand as she took the pen and paper.

 _I can't believe he really thinks a bit of paper can somehow make me feel better after all his fellow soldiers have put me through. He thinks just because he isn't being nasty to me like his brother that we could be friends._

Okimaru interrupted her thoughts, "So, what're you going to draw?"

"Uh, I'll draw you, Oki."

"Oh! I'm flattered. No one's ever—"

But Tula wasn't listening. She didn't have much time.

So she started to sketch.

 _I'll just get this over with and get him out of here._

As Tula drew him, she warmed up a bit to Oki. He told her about his life, and she only half listened. She was more focused on how his lips twitched into a smile when he caught her eye or how he'd close his eyes and furrow his brow when he tried to remember a detail. He was a good storyteller, and even though she wasn't being a great listener, she learned that he had two little sisters that he loved dearly and how sad he was to leave them behind when he enlisted in the Fire Navy.

Now there was another, kinder voice in Tula's head.

 _He is thoughtful. He's doing what good he can. It's not like he asked to join the army, and it certainly isn't his fault he was born in the Fire Nation. And what am I doing to fight the Fire Lord? I always just stayed out of the way, but he didn't have that choice. If he's a bad person, I am, too_

Before she knew it, she had drawn several little portraits and the sun had begun to set. She came to realize how little time she had left as an abrupt flash of lighting brought her back to reality.

"Spirits!" she said aloud.

"What's wrong?" asked Oki.

"Oh, uh, this is." She improvised, pointing to her burn.

 _I'm running out of time._

"Chou brought me this ointment that really helped but I ran out. Do you think it'd be possible for you to get me some more?" She gazed at him. "I don't mean to be any trouble it just...really hurts."

"Of course."

"Oki-" Tula said, squeezing his hand, but he bolted out of the room before she could finish saying thank you.

"It'll only take a couple minutes," he exclaimed.

Her mind was buzzing with nerves as she got to her feet, steeling herself for what was about to come.

 _This is it._


	4. Chapter 4

Tula was overcome with nerves, but now was her only chance. She felt a little bad for Oki; she didn't want him to think she manipulated him, though that was her original intention.

She decided to tear off one of the portraits from the parchment and quickly wrote "I'm sorry. Stay good Oki." She left it folded on the cell floor and put the rest of the parchment, pen, and ink into her pocket. She quickly unlocked the cell door, and, taking a deep breath, she exited the room. No one was in the corridor, so she sprinted to the stairs to the deck. Right as she turned into them, she heard someone at the end of the hall.

"Tula?" Oki cried, looking confused, holding the piece of paper and the ointment she'd asked him to get.

Tula turned back around and clambered up the stairs as quickly as she could. She didn't have long.

She stepped onto the deck. She ship seemed to be inside a cloud. It was foggy and incredibly hard to make out her surroundings.

The sounds of boots against the deck approached her. She began to run around the back of the deck, and the steps followed, growing faster. More soldiers came from the other direction. Cornered, she jumped up onto the wheelhouse. She now saw at least 10 soldiers clustering beneath her, peering up at her, a sea of ember eyes against the dulled red of their uniforms and the gray of the ship. Some looked confused, but she recognized others as those who had captured her.

The sky opened up, and rain came pouring down. The hard drops pounded against the deck and clouded her vision. She looked around frantically, trying to get a clear vision of her situation, but before she could adjust herself, she felt heat on her back. Luckily, the rain killed the flames before they could touch her, but she still had to deal with the bender. Kai stood facing her, his hands raised in a fighting position. He shot flames at her and she jumped back, creating a gust of air to stop herself from falling to the deck. She then jumped upwards, and wrapping her arms around a smokestack, she swung herself forward, kicking Kai squarely in the shoulders. He fell back down to the deck, and using this brief moment of distraction, she took a leap over the heads of the men clustered around the wheelhouse to the edge of the deck.

Her only option was to jump. She clung to the edge of the boat, and as she steeled herself for the fall, someone cried out her name.

"Tula!" Oki was running towards her, shoving soldiers out of the way. "You'll drown!"

Their eyes met and she hoisted herself over the edge, trying to convey as much apology in one look as she could. Oki looked stunned and horrified. She could practically see the naivety and brightness leave his eyes. It hurt to know that he'd see much worse than this in the coming years.

Tula let go.

Midair, she turned into a diving position. The rain pelted against her. She was already soaked, but as she penetrated the freezing water, she was shocked by the cold. She was relatively deep in the river, below the roughest part of the stormy water, and she was able to create a bubble of air around her head. She began to swim, shooting air bubbles out of her feet, propelling her forward. Fighting the cold of the water took nearly all her effort, and she could barely see a thing. She rose up closer to the surface where there was slightly more light and began to fight against the waves. It was difficult, but she could see the shore in the distance.

 _Come on. Just ten more yards...nine._

A flash of light blinded her and the water came alive. Her whole body was full of sparks.

Her vision faded to darkness.

"Calm down, Tula. I bet they can hear your heart beating!"

"Haru, we shouldn't be out here. It's past curfew."

A couple soldiers wearing Fire Nation uniforms came into view.

"I'm going to head to the pub. Can you cover for me?" one soldier said to the other.

"'Course. You know what the people in this village are like. They're all so scared; they won't give me any trouble." The other soldier laughed.

Haru was tense with anger.

"We're a couple of benders. We can take him," Haru hissed.

"No!" Tula was terrified. "We're barely teenagers, and we've never had proper training. And I can't let them take you."

"I know what you're thinking, Tula. I should be grateful they haven't found out I'm an earthbender."

"Yes, you should be. And you should be thankful you're dad's still here, too."

"Yeah, he's great at hiding." Haru spat bitterly. "Sometimes I wish he would chuck a boulder at those ash makers."

"Haru!" Tula was mortified. "I hadn't seen my mother in months when I heard she'd died in that prison. I never even got to say goodbye! If you knew what it was like, you'd never have said that."

"Tula, I'm sorry. It's just—"

The voice of the soldier interrupted him. He was speaking to a young woman, gripping her tightly by the shoulders.

"What're you doing out so late?"

"Kama!" Tula gasped.

"Oh, I think I've got an idea. I hear your a talented young lady."

The way the soldier lingered on the word talented sent a shiver down Tula's spine.

"You know, you're very pretty for a Dirt Kingdom girl." The soldier was pushing Kama towards a wall.

Tula and Haru were frozen with fear. Tula wanted to look away, but she couldn't.

The soldier pinned her against the wall, his hand on her throat. Karma's eyes were closed, and her face was turned away from the man.

"How about a demonstration?" The soldier took ahold of Kama's jaw and made her face him. Her entire body was quivering.

Fury overpowered fear. Tula moved out of the shadows where she was hiding and ran across the road.

"Kama!" she cried, approaching them.

"Well, you're out past curfew." The soldier turned his head.

Tula didn't budge.

"Do I need to teach you a lesson?" The soldier released Kama and faced her.

 _Finally._

Kama steadied herself, and watched them. Haru ran over, still keeping his distance.

Tula was filled with hatred. She raised her arms and focused on the soldier. She pulled her arms towards her. The soldiers eyes grew with shock, then fear. Air was escaping him. Little tendrils of vital oxygen were drawn out of his body.

Tula narrowed her eyes and widened her stance. She began to mover her arms in a circle, and the tendrils formed a sphere. The soldier sank to his knees. He clutched his throat. The last bit of air left his body, and the sphere continued to rotate around his head. Tula watched his eyes bulge. She watched him look at her with terror.

And when that terror left his eyes and his body relaxed, she let the sphere disperse. He was collapsed on the ground.

Haru and Kama were stricken with fear. Haru had tears in his eyes.

Kama took a breath. "I'm getting Dad."

Tula did not acknowledge her. She just stared at the body. When she had the strength to break her stare, she looked at Haru. He was wearing an expression she had never seen before. She felt numb.

Her Dad came running silently with Kama. They spoke in frantic whispers, but everything was silent for Tula. Her dad and Haru carried the man away. Kama took Tula's arm and guided her home.

She sat, legs pulled up to her chest, crying silently.

Her father's face appeared before her. Her vision was blurry.

"Tula. You're going to have to leave."


	5. Chapter 5

Tula's head was pounding. Sunlight pressed against her eyelids, but the pressure and tension in her head stopped her from opening them.

"Catch anything?" A raspy voice came from a few feet away. "That's too bad. We've been here for at least an hour."

As Tula woke up, she became aware that someone was sitting next to her.

 _If I'm captured again, I swear..._

Cautious as ever, Tula felt around for something that could be used to defend herself, finally grasping a sharp rock. She was not eager to use her airbending after what she'd dreamt. The feeling of murder that resurfaced was as strong as it had been three years ago.

To relieve herself of the remnants of her past replaying in her mind, she opened her eyes. The light seeped into her vision and she wondered why she was laying uncomfortably in the sand.

"She wakes." A new voice came from beside her.

She turned to face the speaker. A tanned boy with overgrown hair and a prominent chin looked down at her.

"You alright?" He extended his hand and pulled Tula up.

"Where am I?" Tula felt dazed.

"You're in my forest," he answered nonchalantly. "What's your name?"

"I'm...not sure if I should tell you yet." Tula was utterly confused.

She felt in her pockets and pulled out the piece of parchment. The ink was smeared, but she could still make out Okimaru's face. And then the image of him before she jumped was brought back to her.

 _The storm. The river. The lightning._

Tula remembered.

"I-I was in the river during the storm. There was lightning...How am I alive?"

"Smellerbee got the water out of you right when we found you." The tanned boy leaned back on a rock, casually putting a weed between his teeth.

"Oh, who's—"

"That's me." A smaller girl with hair to match the tanned boy joined them. Tula was surprised by how young she looked; she couldn't be older than 14.

"Thank you. You saved my life."

"That's what we do." the tanned boy's mouth formed a half smile. "We're the Freedom Fighters. You can join us if you want."

"Join you?" Tula was intimidated by that offer.

"What Jet means is, you're welcome to stay with us." Smellerbee smiled.

Tula didn't really have an option, but she was grateful that she wouldn't have to face the forest alone. The group was joined by a silent boy with a narrow face and protruding ears who had been fishing nearby, and together they ventured into the forest.

The red trees filtered the light so that everything looked warm and golden, and the forest rustled with creatures, blooming with life. Luckily, there wasn't a fire nation soldier in sight.

They had been walking for about ten minutes, when Jet stopped abruptly.

"Here we are."

Tula raised an eyebrow at him. There was nothing around.

"Hold your ostrich horses, Blondie." He smirked.

 _Blondie?_

She half-smiled in response to his smirk, and suddenly, they were surrounded. Out of the trees came an assortment of interesting people. They descended on ropes from the tall trees and greeted Jet enthusiastically.

"We've found ourselves a friend!" Jet gestured towards her. "Freedom Fighters, meet Blondie!"

 _Wow. Blondie._

Tula had mixed feelings about this new nickname, but she appreciated that he hadn't pressed her for her real one. It made her feel as if her past didn't matter.

Introductions did not take long. She learned that the quiet boy was called Longshot, and met the rest of the Freedom Fighters. There was Sneers, a stocky scout who seemed pretty relaxed, The Duke, a small and lively little boy, and Pipsqueak, who, of course, was giant and muscled. There were a number of others whose named she didn't catch, but they all seemed to be kids and teenagers. And they all absolutely adored Jet.

Tula had to admit, Jet was a pretty good leader. The fact that they were surviving by themselves in Fire Nation territory was indeed impressive. But as much as she was inclined to trust him, Jet talked just a little to smoothly for her liking. She wasn't going to let her guard down just yet.

"Hey, wanna see our hideout?" Jet sidled over to her. He grabbed one of the ropes and put his arm around her waist.

"Hold on tight." There was a glint in his eye.

As they were pulled up into the treetops, Tula couldn't help but be amazed by the beauty of the forest. She gazed at the thick, gray-brown trunked trees. As she rose into the vibrant red foliage, she realized just how high up she was. They arrived on a platform, and Tula let go. She looked around to see multitudes of little treehouses, all at different heights, concealed among the trees. They were clearly made of scrap material, but they had an undeniable charm.

Two zip lines and a hanging bridge later, she arrived at the treehouse where she'd sleep.

"I really appreciate you letting me stay here, Jet."

"Pleasure's all mine."

Tula eyed the mat on the floor. She hadn't slept on a soft surface in a week. She realized that she hadn't bathed in a week either.

"Is there a stream or somewhere I can wash up around here?"

"Yeah, I'll get Smellerbee to take you. Just be back soon; we all want to get to know you."

Tula was eager to talk to Smellerbee. After all, she owed her her life, and there was something about the girl she really liked. But as they walked to the stream, it seemed like there was an invisible barrier between them, keeping them from actually connecting.

"You can find your own way back, right?" Smellerbee asked as soon as they got there.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Tula was a little hurt by her eagerness to leave. She watched her walk away, her pace quickening with each step. Tula had never had a girl friend before and she'd always wanted one. She had hoped that maybe she'd finally have that, but it seemed like that wasn't going to happen.

Tula walked over to the stream and peered down at her reflection. Sometimes, when she looked in mirrors it would take her a second to realize who she was looking at. For just a second, she saw herself as another person might. This day, she saw a roughed up girl who looked tired and weak. Her freckles stood out on her stark, pale face, paler than usual, and the burn gleamed an uncomfortable pink.

She undressed and waded into the stream. The water went up to her chest, and it was cool on her skin. She floated in the water for what felt like hours, staring up at the beautiful red canopy with bits of golden sky shining through. Her guilt and fear was assuaged as she soaked, bad memories leaving her along with the grime.

The tread of paws on the forest floor interrupted her revelry. On the bank of the stream stood a lion cat, its golden mane glinting in the sunlight. Tula was entranced by the creature, powerful in its stance with deep, brooding eyes. She swam towards it, not breaking contact with its eyes, which seemed to shift between a gray and light orange color. As she neared the creature, her hand outstretched.

The forest around her grew still. She was just feet away. The lion cat's eyes were growing piercingly bright. She blinked. A brief picture of a young woman in orange with fierce eyes and chin-length golden curls flashed before her. The woman was flying, unassisted. Just as soon as the vision struck her, it vanished. She had no time to question it. Tula could feel the breath of the lion cat now. She opened her eyes, and her arm fell back.

It was gone.


	6. Chapter 6

Jet stood on the bank, where the lion cat had been.

 _He must have scared it away. Why did he come all the way out here?_

"You've been a while. I came to make sure nothing happened."

"I appreciate it," Tula said flatly. She didn't.

"Ready to go back to the hideout?"

"Uh, yeah. I could use a little privacy, though." Tula was conscious that the cool stream water was the only thing separating her from nudity. Jet flashed a grin and went to sit down behind a tree.

Tula climbed out and slipped into her clothes which had been drying on the bank after her best attempt to wash them. She flipped her head over and wrung put her hair, covertly using airbending to dry it. As she walked towards Jet, she felt the familiar sensation of the soft curls cascading down her back.

She tapped him on the shoulder and Jet got to his feet, taking a good look at her.

"Spits, Blondie, you clean up nice."

Tula smiled at him, neither accepting or denying the compliment.

Tula thoroughly enjoyed the walk back to the hideout. She kept an eye out for the lion cat, hoping to see it again, but she knew it was far from likely.

 _Don't lion cats live in the mountains, near the air temples? Plus, no one's seen one in decades. But no one's seen an airbender in a century, and here I am._

Tula had been under the impression that the last lion cats served as rugs for the Fire Nation elite, and she was quite intrigued by what she'd seen, including the woman she'd envisioned, who seemed somehow familiar. She could stay here a for a few weeks, maybe a month, maybe longer. With luck she might meet it again.

At last, they arrived back at the hideout. Everyone—maybe 15 people—was gathered on a central platform, around a fire. Tula dropped onto it from a zip line, landing gracefully.

As they gathered around a fire, eating roasted hog monkey, the attention was turned to Tula.

"So, Blondie, what's your story?"

She told them more than she thought she would. She talked about her village being occupied, her mom being taken away, and how she killed the fire nation soldier. She didn't tell them how—she kept it vague, and she mentioned how it had haunted her since.

But they didn't seemed to be phased by this. Jet even looked impressed.

"Is that how you got that burn?" The Duke pointed at her neck.

"No, that's recent. Some fire nation soldiers kidnapped me and were going to sell me to a circus. I jumped ship, and that's how I ended up here."

"Well, I think you'll fit right in. We could always use another fighter." Jet grinned at her, leaning back and placing a weed between his teeth.

"Oh...uh." Tula was taken aback. "I'm not exactly a fighter."

"I can fix that."

The next day, when Tula walked out of her treehouse-tent, looking drowsy, she was greeted by Jet, leaning casually on a tree branch.

"Mornin' Blondie. I have important plans for you today."

"Is that right?" Tula yawned. "Your plans are gonna have to wait a while."

After washing her face and eating a small breakfast of lychee nuts, Tula met Jet on the main platform. Smellerbee was with him, but as soon as Tula started climbing down the ladder, she ran off on one of the swinging bridges, saying "Catch ya later, Jet," in her peculiar, raspy voice.

Jet sat with a spread of various weapons in front of him. There were a few different daggers, a spear, a set of hook swords, and a single broad sword.

"So what'll be?"

All of the weapons were pretty beat up, but, thinking they looked most useful, Tula chose the hook swords.

 _They're better than daggers. At least I can keep my distance from whoever I'm fighting._

"Nice choice, Blondie. I used those hook swords until Channa made me these." He gripped his shinier looking pair of hook swords at his sides.

"Did I meet Channa yesterday?" Tula asked, curious.

"No, she likes to keep to herself."

With that, Jet hooked the tip of his sword into a tree branch, swung forward to grab a pulley, and he swung himself back gracefully.

"Here, take this down. I'll meet you at the base."

Tula watched as he used his swords to swing off into the trees. Instead of taking the rope, she followed. Her first swings were hesitant, and she barely made it to the second branch. It helped to know that if she fell, she would have one last resort to save her. She began to hit her stride.

 _Spirits! Don't think. Just go._

She followed the rustle of leaves that was Jet, who was admittedly much faster. She felt branches snap across her face, but the unpleasantness did not match her excitement. As she neared the forest floor, she took one last swing, and instead of dropping off at the branch, she made a full turn around it and landed nimbly on her feet, in one fluid motion.

Jet turned to face her, looking surprised. He gazed at her. She had leaves stuck in her curls and her face was pink, but she looked quite proud of herself.

"We sure are going to have fun together," Jet said, slyly.

The days slipped away. Tula spent the next couple weeks training with Jet. She made a valiant effort and of course had a secret advantage, so she became quite competent with the hook swords. Her biggest issue was over analyzing what her next move would be, which sometimes caused her to zone out and get her ass kicked.

"You think too much, Blondie," Jet said, as he came up behind her. He put his arm around her so the blade on the handle of the hook swords was only inches away from her throat. She was zapped back to reality. She jabbed him in the side with the spear-tipped back of her hook sword, startled, Jet backed down.

Tula had been thinking about the lion-cat again, and she wanted to resume her pondering.

"Jet, I'm gonna take break. Thanks for not slitting my throat, buddy."

She slid her hook swords into the thick sheath that hung around her back, and headed off into the woods. As always, she was heading for the stream.

Tula sat by the stream as night fell. The slow, soothing movement of the stream lulled her to sleep on the bank. As the deep blue sky shimmered with stars something approached her sleeping body. There was rustling in the bushes and footsteps approaching.

Barely conscious, Tula was alerted to the noise.

She desperately wanted it to be the lion cat.

But evidently, she wasn't so lucky.


	7. Chapter 7

A red-helmeted figure loomed above her. She had never experienced the full effect of the Fire Nation uniform before, as all the other soldiers she had encountered had been off duty, and it was just as intimidating as everyone said. The pointed helmet cast a dramatic shadow over her, and familiar tremors went up her spine. The soldier removed the plate of his helmet to reveal a menacing set of ember eyes and a battle-scarred face.

"I've heard reports of some little urchins raiding Fire Nation camps around here. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" the soldier asked in a threatening manner.

Tula was trying her best not to panic.

 _Damn. I left the hook swords with Jet._

Like a cat owl playing with its food before eating it, the soldier questioned her. "Where are you parents? Or," noticing that she could perhaps be of marrying age, "where's your husband?"

Deciding it was her best bet to act older than she was, like a married woman rather than a young, vulnerable girl, Tula got to her feet with all the dignity she could muster.

"So I'm not allowed to take a walk without my husband, now am I?"

"Well, that's up to him, but I sure wouldn't let my wife walk through the woods alone. It can be a dangerous place for young girls," he said slyly.

"I'm no young girl!" Tula crossed her arms over her less-than womanly chest. "I'm a married woman! And I'll be on my way."

But the soldier blocked her path. He inhaled and positioned himself for a blow. The world seemed to come to a halt.

Tula had only one option.

 _Spirits! How has it come to this again?_

The flames came billowing towards her, heat causing her weeks-old burn to prickle with discomfort. A sharp intake of breath. Her final line of defense.

She threw her arms across her face and sent currents of air from each palm, creating a shield of wind that caused the flames to dissipate on either side of her.

 _My secret's out._

She raised her gaze to the soldier, expecting to see his eyes wide with shock and her worst fear realized, but that was not the case. His attention had been directed towards something else, a new source of heat.

The challenger's face emerged from flame. A young woman, with an angular face and pale skin panted with the effort of the blow. Most notable was her hair, short and cropped with the exception of two braids that framed her face.

The soldier looked stunned; it was clear that despite the fact that she was a fellow firebender, he had never even met her.

"Fuck! Run! I won't be able to hold him off," the girl shouted hoarsely at her.

Tula did just that, her head filled with worry for the girl and chiefly, confusion as to why a firebender had saved her life. She could hardly breathe as she sprinted back to the hideout.

"Jet!" She tried to yell, but only gasps escaped her. She was still many yards from where they'd been practicing, only hours prior.

 _What was I thinking not bring any weapons? And what am I thinking leaving that girl-Fire Nation or not- to fight the soldier?_

Tula heard brush and twigs crackling behind her, doubtless under Fire Nation army boots. She was getting closer to the hideout, but she couldn't risk the soldier seeing her enter it. If she could just find her hook swords, she might stand a chance.

 _But then what? How can I stop him from getting reinforcements?_

"Stop." A familiar confident voice sounded in her head. "You think too much, Blondie."

She couldn't let this soldier best her. She couldn't further endanger the Freedom Fighters.

Tula was staggering now, with a knot in her side. She came to a familiar clearing and almost tripped over something.

 _My swords!_

She grasped the swords in each of her hands, preparing to face the soldier. He came trampling through the brush just a minute later. Tula hardly had time to catch her breath.

She leaped over his first fiery blow, catching him by surprise. Before she knew it she had one hook sword holding his arms back and the other's bladed handle to his throat.

Their yellow-orange eyes met. He looked fearful. All she needed to do was run the blade across his throat, and it would be over. He'd be dead, just like the soldier from her village. The images of her fearful sister and best friend flashed through her mind. She faltered.

She had dropped the handle a little further from the soldier's throat, and he seized the opportunity. A stream of flames came rushing out of his nostrils and a triumphant grin spread across his face. Tula jumped back losing hold of him. He positioned himself for a final blow.

If she ran, the flames would follow, and they'd end up scorching the hideout just yards away.

 _I'm trapped._

Her breath quickened.

 _Spirits, spare me!_

The beginnings of flames issued from his palms.

Then, from behind him a figure came flying through the air. It was Jet. He hit him squarely in the back, knocking him to the ground. Jet, no longer having a tree to hang onto, tumbled to the ground. Tula felt a tug on one of the hook swords hanging at her side and realized that it had grazed his side.

"Jet!" Tula cried as she helped him up, putting one of his arms over her shoulders to support him. He had a rip in his shirt and a bleeding cut. It didn't look too deep but it was clearly causing him pain.

As she tore off the bottom part of her tunic and tied it around his waist, Jet began to speak.

"Spits, Blondie, you don't need to worry about me. This is all in a day's work."

"Jet." Tula stood up and looked him directly in the eye, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You just saved my life."

"Like I said, just another day of Freedom Fighting."

Tula half smiled, still gazing at Jet, shaking her head slightly.

 _Does he ever break character, even for a second?_

"Hey, some things are just worth saving." Jet placed his hand on her neck with his thumb lightly touching her cheek.

In a split-second, Tula knew what was coming.

He leaned in.

* * *

"Haru, where are we going?"

"I need to show you something."

Haru led Tula through the forest, the both of them stuffed from the birthday cake Haru's mother had been hoarding sugar for weeks to make. The path they walked on opened up into a divot in the land—likely a dried stream bed.

"Listen, I know I promised not to, but I've been practicing my earth bending here."

"Haru!" Tula was mortified.

"We're nearly three miles away from the village! And I heard it's bad to suppress your bending. I was thinking that maybe you could practice here too."

The idea terrified and thrilled Tula. He was the only person outside her family to know her secret, and she certainly kept it well.

"Look what I learned," Haru said, taking a strong stance. With deliberate movements, he created a tent of rock.

"That's amazing!" She'd had no idea he could do anything more than move a couple pebbles.

They sat cross-legged in the earth tent, Tula, the taller of the pair, bowing her head forward slightly.

Haru took a deep breath. He began to speak, his voice, which was just starting to deepen, faltering. "Now that I'm thirteen, I feel like...I'm growing up, and there are some things that I'm supposed to do."

Tula wanted to laugh at the peculiarity of this sentiment, but she knew Haru's sensitivity better than anyone.

He looked like he was making up his mind about something, his youthful face contorted slightly at the brow. "Tula, you're my best friend, the person I trust most with my secrets, and someone who knows me better than anyone else."

"Yeah, you too," she replied, a little uncertain as to what exactly was going on.

"I've thought about this for a while and..."

Tula peered at him expectantly.

"Oh, just close your eyes!"

She did so, her mind rampant with curiosity but not free of trepidation.

A trembling hand brushed her face and a pair of lips pressed against hers.

 _What. On. Earth._

Tula pulled away, after just seconds, shocked.

She'd just had her first kiss, with the last person she would have expected. Haru couldn't look at her and he left abruptly, while she still sat there, stunned.

She watched the silky haired boy run away, back towards the village, and there was a sinking feeling in her stomach.

 _Nothing will ever be same._

* * *

Kissing Jet wasn't so bad altogether. Tula came to this conclusion as she and Longshot carried the soldier's body, only unconscious she hoped, deeper into the woods. She wouldn't have regretted it if not for the furious, disgusted look on Smellerbee's face upon witnessing them. The way the archer had said that she needed to get Jet to safety filled Tula with a horrible guilty feeling.

Tula remembered a time when she thought that a kiss was something monumental and important, but that was then. Of all the events to process from the day, her focus went elsewhere. She was holding the soldier's ankles, walking behind Longshot, in complete silence. She was tempted to ask him if he'd ever seen the girl before—the firebender, but she realized he wasn't the person who could give her a coherent answer.

Their short journey was successful; they were confident that once the soldier came to he'd clueless as to their whereabouts. After an uneventful walk back, Tula firmly tugged a pulley, and tightly grasping the rope, she shot up into the treetops. The Freedom Fighters were in a state of disarray. Their beloved leader had been injured, and the knowledge that an ash maker had ventured so close to the hideout had shocked many who'd always felt somewhat safe tucked away in the quiet forest. Shame bubbled inside Tula. She'd put them all at risk.

Jet came down the rope bridge, moving extra gingerly, Smellerbee right behind him.

"Freedom Fighters! We're doing a headcount at the main platform to make sure everyone's safe. We don't know how many of the enemy were in our forest today."

The Duke took a metal spoon to his helmet to call attention to Jet's announcement. Everyone began to cluster on the main platform, and Smellerbee began to count them all off. Luckily, everyone seemed to be present.

However, after she finished her count Smellerbee said one person was missing.

"Where's Channa?"

A moment of anxious silence ensued.

"Oh, thank the spirits! There she is."

Tula looked around, curious to know who the mysterious blacksmith was.

And with a thud, a girl landed on the platform, a familiar set of short braids blown into the air as she jumped from the zip line.


	8. Chapter 8

"Great! We're all good. Now let's get some rest." Jet joined the line of Freedom Fighters, putting his arm around Tula. She was attempting to covertly watch the firebender—Channa—at the end of the line.

"Wait." Smellerbee looked serious. "We wouldn't have been taken by surprise today if we'd been doing our usual scouting. We've all been a little distracted these past couple weeks," she said, shooting Jet, who was twirling Tula's hair around his finger, a deliberate look, "but we need to get back to work.

Tula grew hot with shame. She didn't want to be a distraction.

"Those power hungry ash makers have taken most of the villages in this area, and we need to do something about it."

Tula stole a glance in Channa's direction to see how she'd react to what Smellerbee had said, but she was already gone.

"You're right Bee," Jet conceded. "Tomorrow we'll gather intel and plan another raid, but can we please call it a night?"

Smellerbee rolled her eyes and walked away.

 _She's hasn't got an ounce of respect for me has she?_

Tula didn't know why, but this fierce and boyish girl's opinion really mattered to her. She needed to win her approval somehow.

As she watched her small figure recede into the foliage, Tula's head pounded with thoughts—frustration at Smellerbee, confusion about Channa, and just a touch of concern as to what on earth was going to happen with Jet. Taking a swig out of a hip flask, he nudged her, motioning towards his ramshackle treehouse only a few platforms the main one.

"You wanna, uh—"

"I'm going to go to bed," Tula said abruptly to a sheepish Jet. "You know, in my own bed."

"Oh, yeah, see you tomorrow," he nodded.

"Goodnight, Jet."

Tula hardly slept a wink that night. As the wind rustled beyond the tin walls, her mind was clouded by the dilemmas at hand. Only the growing exhaustion in her limbs released her from her rampant thoughts.

Too soon was she awoken by light streaming through the entrance. Tula jumped from her mat and rushed to get ready—which meant splashing water on her face and tying her hair back with a piece of cloth. She had someone she needed to find.

Luckily, that someone was polishing a dagger on the main platform.

"Smellerbee!" Tula shouted. As she approached her, she said in a lower voice, "I want to talk to you."

Smellerbee did not look particularly happy to see her.

"Listen, you know that girl—Channa, from last night? Uh, what's...her story?"

Smellerbee raised her eyebrows. "She's the blacksmith. She likes to keep to herself. She's known Jet for longer than any of us."

 _No way. She's been keeping her fire bending secret for that long?_

Seeing the puzzled look on Tula's face, Smellerbee smirked. "Oh, don't worry Blondie, she and Jet may have history, but you're much prettier. Okay maybe not prettier, but you have that your shiny hair. Plus, everyone likes new things."

"What—that's not what I was asking about—"

"Oh come on, I know about you and Jet."

"Oh, we're—"

"Yeah, lucky you. He seems to really like you, she said flatly.

"Look, Smellerbee," Tula hissed. "I'm not Jet's whore."

Smellerbee went stiff.

"I'm here because of all of your kindness. And I'm not staying for anyone but myself. I hate the Fire Nation. I want to resist and them in any way I can. They took my family away from me. The kidnapped me from my home. They've killed, raped, and enslaved people, and just because it may not have been my village that was burned down, that doesn't mean that I haven't seen shit."

Tula took a deep breath. "I'm not here to be a distraction. I'm here to fight."

Smellerbee softened. "Well, if you're so interested in working with us, you can start with watch duty. Tonight. All night." She smirked.

"You got it."

"Now, what did you want to know about about Channa?"

"I wanted to ask whether you knew if she was...uh..."

Tula watched as Smellerbee buffed the handle of the dagger. She was trying, very forcefully, to get the Fire Nation symbol off.

"If she was from the Western coast. She looks sort of familiar."

"That's something you'll have to take up with her, Blondie. I'll see you later."

Smellerbee gave her a half-smile.

 _I'll take it._ Tula sighed.

She spent the day half heartedly practicing, avoiding Jet, and taking an extra long dip in the stream. When the sun began to set, she returned to the main platform where a hoard of Freedom Fighters were enjoying their dinners, loudly as usual.

"Blondie!" exclaimed Jet, his face ruddy with laughter and eyes alight from the fire they were gathered around. "I haven't seen you all day!"

"Yeah, I've been...busy," she finished lamely. "But I wanna hear about our next adventure!"

As Jet launched into a detailed descriptions of their next mission, everyone around the fire rapt, Tula scooted making room for Smellerbee between her and Jet.

"So, did you rest up? For tonight?" she asked quietly.

"More or less. I'm just happy to be doing something useful at last."

The sun fully submerged beneath the crimson treetops, and people began retreating to their quarters, yawning and drowsy-eyed. Only three were left around the fire—the leader, the swordswoman, and, well, Tula.

Smellerbee yawned loudly. "I'm going to bed, see you two tomorrow."

"G'night, Bee," said Jet.

"I'm not feeling too tired. How 'bout you?" He cocked his head at Tula.

"I'm actually on watch tonight," she beamed.

"Oh, you know you don't have to do that sort of thing, Blondie..."

"I want to pull my weight," she said firmly. "Jet, I'll see you tomorrow."

She turned on her heel and walked off.

Watch proved to be monumentally dull. Tula had patrolled the perimeter of camp twice, and all she'd seen was a rather large hog monkey and Sneers sleepwalking. She slumped against a tree trunk, fighting against her heavy eyelids, trying to stay awake. She gazed at the small patch of sky visible through the leaves. It was no longer a dusky blue but pitch black. She saw a gleam of light distort the starry surface and looked closer.

 _Flames_.

There were flames licking the night sky. She ascended to the highest point in camp—Longshot's quarters—and struggled to find a way to get higher, closer to the source of the fire. She scrambled up into the branches of the tree, and she still couldn't locate the flames. She clung to the tree trunk squinting, searching the vast sea of foliage.

She felt something hit her head—not a branch, something metal. It was a handle attacked to some mechanism—a trolley, and Tula saw that it hung on a cord that extended into the darkness.

Without much thought, she was zip lining across the dark sky, the humid air helping to carry her to a platform she had been completely unaware of. It was large, with several different structures. There were objects all over glinting in the moonlight, weapons but also more ordinary things, all metal. She saw the glow of fire yet again, from behind a small structure—an iron wall of sorts, that curved at the top.

 _It must be the fire bender_.

She approached cautiously and then said in a quiet voice, "Channa?"

The girl stepped out from behind the structure. Tula realized how petite she was, even in the low light . She stood probably half a foot shorter than Tula. She was fine-boned, the lean kind of muscular, and without the energy of combat, she was more doll-like than anything.

Her angular eyes pierced Tula. Her brow was set.

"I owe you my life," Tula said. "But you owe me some kind of explanation."

Channa's eyes fell. "You have to promise not to tell anyone."

"But—

"No," Channa's voice became desperate. "You have to promise, promise, not to tell anyone."

"Okay, okay, I—

"If Jet—if any of them found out, they'd hate me. Hate me."

"Alright," Tula tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. "I won't."

"Promise," Channa's voice was verging on wild, lowered to a hiss, but she seemed to calm down, closing her eyes for a moment. More to herself than to Tula, she said softly, "I can't go back. I won't go back."

"I promise."

They sat down facing one another, legs crossed.

"Thank you, Channa, for saving me. I have a lot of questions for you."

The two of them remained awake all night.


	9. AN

I just want to say thank you to anyone who continued to read this despite the five months it's been since I've updated. I'm really sorry. Trying to stay afloat in school, make art, and maintain a social life while doing this nerd stuff [ :)) ] is not very easy for me. Luckily, I get out of school in a week, and I should have more free time this summer. I've recently been really inspired to write this story, but I know the last chapter wasn't super amazing. I just wanted to put something out, even though I'd prefer it to have been longer. It's the transition necessary to get me back into this so hopefully it's not too lame!


	10. Chapter 9

Tula and Channa began to spend more time together, and although they didn't talk much, they found comfort in each other's presence. Tula thought it was nice to have another girl her age to spend time with; it was a first for her.

Channa was from Yu Dao, an old Fire Nation colony to the West. Her mother had been a wealthy businesswoman, and her father was a miner. She hated the Fire Nation. That was all Tula knew.

Tula was learning smithing. She took on more and responsibility with the Freedom Fighters. She trained often with Jet and occasionally with Channa and with Smellerbee. Tula was busy, so she was happy.

"Root yourself to the ground!" Smellerbee barked. "I'm going to come at you, and you need to keep your stance."

This was difficult for an airbender. She wasn't keen on giving up her only advantage.

But nonetheless Tula lowered her hands to her sides and took a strong stance. The small girl ran at her, and it took all Tula had to keep her ground. Smellerbee practically threw herself at Tula, and although Tula tried to remain steady, she wobbled back a few feet, winded.

"Spits, Blondie, it's not that hard. Look, I want you to kick me."

"Kick you?"

"Yeah, right in the stomach."

Tula had no desire to hurt her friend. She easily had twenty pounds on Smellerbee.

"Come on, Blondie," she said. "I'll be fine."

So she did it. She flew at Smellerbee, her leg outstretched, and upon impact, the scrawny girl didn't budge. Tula fell to the ground, but Smellerbee stayed up. There were cracks in the earth beneath her.

"How did you do that?" Tula looked up at her, bewildered. "Are you a god? Am I in the presence of a deity right now?"

Smellerbee rolled her eyes, and Tula laughed at her annoyed expression.

"If your core is strong, the energy goes through you instead of—You just have to stand and take it."

Tula spent the next hour getting pummeled by Smellerbee. Her entire torso was sore, but now she felt like she could handle anything. She was high on the ache of effort and the adrenaline of friendly competition.

 _All those years in hiding, this is what I've been missing._

She walked through the forest, sunlight beaming on her freckled shoulders. It didn't feel like wartime; it felt like paradise.

She picked lychee nuts as she strolled. As she bent over, she felt a presence behind her. It was utterly silent. Her breath caught in her throat. She turned slowly.

The lion cat stood there, its gaze fixed on Tula. Its eyes were the lightest she'd ever seen—the blue of the sky. It wasn't very big, no larger than her, and aside from its mane, it resembled a large version of an ordinary housecat. It's fur was short, with a golden sheen, a similar color to her own hair.

The lion cat cocked its head at Tula. It turned and began to walk away. She followed, of course. They strayed from the trodden path and ventured somewhere Tula had never been before. They walked through the forest for about an hour when finally they came to the ruins of a building. At first, Tula thought it must have been a home destroyed during the war, but upon closer inspection, she saw that the ruin looked natural. The stone had slowly crumbled—not been intentionally wrecked. Moss and reddish-brown vines wrapped around the base of the structure.

The lion cat stepped up onto what once was the stone floor. As Tula looked at the stones beneath her, she noticed an intricate pattern created by rounded stones.

This building was something special.

She followed the pattern with her eyes, and it led her to a pair of bare feet—stone bare feet. There was a statue of a monk—well a man in monk's robes. He had a head of hair and no arrow on his forehead. He was armless, and chunks had fallen from the back of his head. Still, Tula decided that this must have been a temple of sorts, probably hundreds of years old.

"Why did you bring me here?" She turned to the lion cat.

It gazed at her imploringly. She knelt down in front of it, in a sign of surrender.

"I'm not dangerous."

She outstretched her hand for the lion cat to smell. It raised a paw. Tula's hand and the creatures touched lightly, and the entire forest seemed to be flooded with light.

As Tula regained her sight, she saw that it was no longer the lion cat that was in front of her. The woman, the one she'd seen flying, knelt there, with her palm touching Tula's. Their hands were exactly the same size. Their hair, although different lengths, was the same hue of honey blond. The woman was certainly older than her, and her face was prettier—more symmetrical and angular. She had no freckles, and her eyes were big and brown. Still there was an undeniable resemblance between them.

Tula understood. This woman was Senge. This woman was her great-grandmother.

She had only known her for a couple years, and she had been old and unhinged. And she was not an airbender.

 _If she had been, how could she have survived?_

But Tula had seen this woman fly unassisted, and even regular airbenders couldn't do that.

 _She's a spirit, you dunce! She doesn't have to obey the laws of the natural world_.

Tula couldn't believe that of all of the possible identities she'd imagined for this woman, her great-grandmother had never been one of them.

As realization courses through Tula, Senge stood. She grasped Tula's hand. Her eyes told Tula she had something to show her.

The Spirit World.

Senge's hand was solid, surprisingly. It felt more real than anything Tula had ever held before. She closed Tula's eyes gently, with two fingers, and Tula felt her arm tugged upward. Her heels left the ground, then her toes broke contact.

She felt a rush of excitement, and it took all of her will to keep her eyes shut. She felt herself engulfed in warmth. It was wonderful.

But the warmth began to prickle. Then it burned.

 _Is this normal?_

A shock of pain forced her eyes open. Flames, all around her. Crackling. Dancing. Laughing. And then she was falling.

She hit the stone with a thud. Her vision blazed red, but the flames subsided. Thankfully, she hadn't been burned. Four Fire Nation soldiers encircled her.

"Let us take you back to camp, and we'll...uh...spare you," one said.

Tula stood to her feet, feebly. She regained her composure.

"Let me go." She gritted her teeth. "And _I'll_ spare _you_."

For a second, she saw fear cross the eyes of one of the soldiers, but soon enough they began to laugh.

 _Shit. I can't possible take four firebenders._

"Alright then."

A whoosh of flames flew at her face. She ducked. In a cloud of ash, she crawled out of the ruins, fumbling for her hook swords. She used them to swing from a low-hanging branch, and she kicked a soldier in the head, sending him to the ground. She sprung at another, aiming a sword at his throat, but the realization of how young he was—likely 17, Channa's age, caused her to redirect her blow to his shoulder.

Blood seeped through his uniform just as another bender shot flames at her. Her eyes stung and she felt as if she couldn't breathe.

The soldiers circled up, sending flames her way from seemingly every angle. She jumped and dodged and ducked. She was getting tired. She was getting desperate.

In horror, she watched as they worked together to create something that looked like a whirlwind of flames. They built it up, flames circling around them, rings of fire stacking. It would wipe out yards of forest in each direction.

 _There's no getting away._

As the heat grew, Tula began to cry. She had failed. This was the end of the air nomads. She had been too weak to survive.

She shut her eyes and keeled over. All she felt, all she knew was the sear of flames rushing in her direction.

But they didn't come. She looked at the soldiers and saw that their shock matched hers. They were enclosed in a thick sheet of glass. She realized, upon seeing the sand that lay on the ground, that they'd blown it themselves. A young man dressed in tan robes with a scarf of sorts covering his nose and mouth stood there, conjuring the sand back into a pouch at his hip.

The soldiers saw him, too. They erupted with fury. They began to attempt to break the glass.

Tula got up, looking at the sandbender.

"You saved me," she said, still dazed.

"I did not do this for you," the man scoffed. "They took my opium."

The two of them looked back at the soldiers in their giant glass vial. It was pulsing with heat, the glass was bubbling.

"Shit!" Tula cried.

But the flames stopped.

 _They're out of oxygen_ , Tula realized.

The men began to choke. Their eyes popped out of their sockets. Their legs gave way. It was awful. Tula was reminded brutally of that night a few years back when she'd caused another to meet the same fate.

 _We're letting them die_.

This was what war looked like.

Tula hit the ground once again.


End file.
